


Handing out Candy

by alifletcher2010



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Candy, F/M, Fluff, Halloween, Hot Chocolate, Neighbors, Trick or Treating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:48:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21822433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alifletcher2010/pseuds/alifletcher2010
Summary: A collection of Halloween themed of related tumblr promptsChpt 1: Handing out CandyChpt 2: Making Hot Chocolate
Relationships: Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | Celaena Sardothien/Rowan Whitethorn
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	1. Handing out Candy

When Aelin saw the sign on Rowan’s apartment door, she giggled with glee. Their super had handed them out to the entire apartment complex the week before and if you were handing out candy to the kids in the complex, you were supposed to hang it on the door. Aelin hadn’t expected to see in on the door of her stick-in-the-mud, dentist who didn’t believe in sweets across the hall neighbor, but she supposed stranger things had happened.

Maybe he was giving out gross sugar free candy or something. Either way, Aelin was determined to outdo him in their ongoing rivalry. Of course, she was determined to outdo everyone in the building. She had bought out every giant candy bar in every store in town. She was going to be that person this year. Everyone’s favorite. The person that went down in neighborhood legend.

It wasn’t just the candy. She had a fog machine, spooky decorations, eerie music…the works. She had the perfect skeleton costume and had been practicing her makeup all month long.

Aelin Galathynius did not do things halfway. And she was never, never outdone.

She couldn’t wait to rub it in Whitethorn’s face.

Finally, finally, 5:30pm rolled around her first trick or treaters arrived. An adorable little vampire and a firefighter. The look of absolute joy on their faces when she handed them their giant candy bars was almost the best thing she’d ever experienced. She waited until they ran across the hall to knock on Rowan’s door.

When he answered, her breath caught. Even though he was a bastard, there was no denying he was handsome. He was dressed in his scrubs, apparently going as himself for Halloween this year. He held out a bucket of what looked like cheap little spooky toys, to the children’s obvious disappointment.

The children wandered back down the hall, and Aelin leaned against her open door, smirking at Rowan. “Whatcha got there, Whitethorn?”

He looked over at her and growled, giving her a dirty look. “Shut up, Aelin. They should be grateful I’m even participating in this ridiculous holiday. At least their parents will be thankful for one less piece of candy in their baskets.”

Aelin rolled her eyes. “You’re a spoilsport.”

Rowan peered over at her bucket full of giant candy bars. “And you’re giving them cavities.”

“No, I’m giving them joyful memories.” Aelin couldn’t help the wicked grin that spread across her face. “Why don’t we have a little contest, to see who’s right. Most popular apartment by the end of the night wins?”  
Rowan quirked an eyebrow. “Alright, Galathynius. You’re on. No ducking out early, you had to go the entire three hours.”

“Fine. Winner gets gloating rights though.”

Rowan laughed. “Doesn’t matter. Either way, I win. I’ll get a nice Christmas bonus off of all these cavities.”  
–  
Beating Rowan was a breeze. An absolute breeze. The kids loved her apartment. And Aelin loved every time she saw Rowan open his door and glare at her long line of costumed children. She had to giggle every time.

It was too easy.

Until it went horribly wrong.

Word had to have gotten out about her giant candy bars, because the line was never ending. It wrapped down the hall and out of sight. Aelin was exhausted and sweating her makeup off.

And running dangerously low on candy.

“How’s it going Galathynius? You look a little nervous.” Rowan smirked over at her from across the hall, his bucket still half full.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” Aelin huffed harriedly.

Rowan peered over at her bucket, that had only a few slightly crushed chocolate bars left. “You know..there are twenty minutes left until trick or treating is over. I’m not sure you’re going to last.”

Aelin couldn’t meet his eye. “Shut up Whitethorn.”

“I’m pretty sure you forfeit if you close up shop early. And you’ll definitely not be the most popular if you run out of candy.” He tsked, “I guess I really will win after all.”

Aeln shot him a dirty look and closed her door harder than she anticipated, probably startling the kids that just left. She looked down at her bucket. One bar left. There was a knock at the door and she groaned. What was she going to do?!

Think, think, think…

There was nothing for it. She was going to have to disappoint them. There was no more candy left in her apartment.  
Well except for her movie stash.

Aelin glanced over to the coffee table. She had intended on saving that for herself for her annual Addams Family marathon. She sighed. There was no way she could disappoint her little friends. With one last forlorn glance at her beloved chocolate, Aelin dumped it all in her bucket and answered the door.

Rowan gave her an interested look when she answered the door with a wide grin. When he saw her now nearly full bucket he quirked an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

The last twenty minutes of trick or treating seemed to drag on as Aelin had to watch her stash of chocolate dwindle down to nothing. But at least she made it through with enough candy.

At precisely nine she opened her door and peeled off her sign with a sigh of relief. Rowan was doing the same across the hall.

“Well, Galathynius, I’m not sure how you pulled it off, but somehow you did. I gracefully admit defeat. You were definitely the best apartment tonight.”

Aelin gave him a wane smile. “Thanks.”

“How did you do it? I could’ve sworn you were out of candy.”

“Oh, uh, every year I gorge myself on chocolate and watch the Addams family on Halloween. I used my own chocolate stash for the last few kids.”

Rowan’s eyebrows shot up so high in his hair they nearly disappeared. “Oh. Well, I have to say, you’re, uh, very committed.”

“Yeah, and I mean, I really couldn’t disappoint them.” Her stomach growled loudly and she laughed. “Well, I guess I need to go find something else to eat. See ya around Whitethorn.”

Aelin didn’t wait to hear his reply as she stepped inside and closed the door. She gloomily pulled down her decorations, her taste for the holiday gone. The best part of the holiday was the candy…and now she had none. Even beating Rowan didn’t seem all that great in hindsight.

She had just gotten back from stuffing all the decorations away in her Halloween bin in the closet when there was a knock at the door. But when Aelin opened it, there was no one there. But there was a ridiculously large pile of chocolate on her doorstep with a note on top.

 _I hope the kids in the complex know how lucky they are to have you_  
-R  
P.S. Just promise me you’ll brush your teeth afterwards.


	2. Making Hot Cocoa

Aelin shivered as she trudged up the stairs, almost home from the longest day at work. Cold had come early this fall. It was even predicted to snow tonight. On Halloween. Oh, the tragedy of it.

The first few trick or treaters were already out in their building and it made Aelin’s mood worse. When she finally got to her completely unadorned door, she wanted to cry. It was her favorite holiday of all time and this stupid class was ruining it.

“You ok there, Aelin?” Rowan had opened his door behind her, to had out what looked like actual candy to the first cute little costumed capers. He had even decorated.

“Oh, yeah,” she sighed. “Just tired. Nice decorations.”

He grinned, “I was hoping to actually be able to compete with you this year after my sound beating last year, but I guess you forgot…”

“Oh, no. Actually, I started a masters this year. I’ve been so busy, I can barely breathe. Anyway, I have this ridiculous class in the evenings. I was so bummed about missing Halloween, I didn’t even decorate. But I did remember candy. I’ll just have to be one of those lame people who puts out a bowl.”

“Well, that’s a bummer. But that’s great about the masters. And here I was just thinking you had a new boyfriend or something…” Rowan rubbed the back of his neck, not quite meeting her eye. “Hey, well, at least I can keep an eye on your bowl for you. And you know, you still have your Addams family marathon afterward.”

Aelin gave him a wane smile. “If I have the energy that is. Oh, well. Next year. Anyway, I have to go if I want to eat and get to class on time.”

Rowan waved goodbye and Aelin closed the door with a groan. Ugh, everything between them was so awkward.

Last Halloween, Aelin had been sure, so sure, that the candy had been like a sign, or something. But when she went over to his apartment to ask him to join her for her marathon, she found out he was engaged. Engaged! She had felt like an idiot. Thankfully, she felt like she covered it decently well by saying thank you, but it had been clear his fiancee had no idea he had given her the candy. She could’ve sworn she caused an argument that night.

They had broken up in February. The entire building had to have heard the argument. Aelin hadn’t known what to do, even though she had been there herself before. So she had brought him a piece of her coveted chocolate hazelnut cake. It had been months since then, and they had slowly done this dance around each other, drawing closer and closer. Nothing had happened, not yet of course. But it wasn’t uncommon for them to talk across the hallway for ages. Aelin looked at the clock and sighed. She was definitely going to be late.

–

Well, it was snowing. On Halloween. Aelin’s night had gone from dismal, to worse. Her professor had ridiculed her when she hadn’t known the answer to a simple question. All she wanted to do was cuddle up on her couch and pretend she didn’t have homework.

To top it all off, when she got home, the hallway was completely dead. And her bowl was missing. So much for Rowan watching it. She could feel the hot tears welling up in her eyes.

“Hey,” Rowan called softly. Aelin nearly jumped out of her skin, she hadn’t even heard him.

Wiping away her tears quickly, she turned and attempted to greet him with a smile. “Hey.”

“I have your bowl. I stopped some twelve year old from smashing it against the floor.” He handed her the bowl, which she tucked under her arm.

“Ugh, seriously? I think we can all agree that twelve is just kind of the worst age ever.”

Rowan laughed and then gave her a soft smile. “You alright?”

“Yeah. I just really hate this class. Every other one is fine, but this one is just the worst. Mostly because the professor is a bastard.”

“You look like you could use a pick me up. I’m making some cocoa. Do you want some?”

Aelin smiled back at him. “Uh, sure. Just let me drop this stuff off.”

“Alright. I’ll just leave the door open, come on in when you’re ready.”

As fast as she could, Aelin dropped off her stuff. She quickly fixed her hair, threw on a smidge of make up, and brushed her teeth. Because one could never be too prepared. She was almost giddy as she moved. It was amazing how quickly her mood improved.

Before she knew it, she was walking across the hall into Rowan’s open apartment. She took a moment to take it in. It was the same floor plan as her own, everything was just opposite. While her’s was classic and a little posh, his was more modern but still had that homey, lived in feeling.

Rowan was standing at the stove, stirring something in a pot. He smiled at her when she let herself in. The counter was stuffed with ingredients, cream, caramel sauce, and half a dozen types of chocolate. Aelin had been expecting him to just throw some powder into some mugs and maybe add a little Bailey’s and call it good. This was not what she had been expecting.

“What’s all this?” she asked, a little incredulously, as she leaned against the counter next to him. “I thought you were making cocoa?”

“I am. This is my grandmother’s recipe.”

Aelin eyed everything, watching him as he worked. “This looks decedent…how does our resident dentist feel about all this sugar?”

Rowan rolled his eyes. “This is my one and only indulgence. I like to pretend that since I drink it really fast, the sugar doesn’t have a chance to sink in.”

Aelin laughed. “Uh-huh. That sounds like a load of bull to me. And I’m sure you could use that same logic on like soda and any other sugary drinks.”

“Don’t you dare. Soda is so bad for you.”

Aelin gave a mirthful laugh. “You can pry my Coke from my cold, dead hands.”

Rowan stuck his tongue out at her. “I’m so glad I’m not your dentist. Here,” he laddled some of the cocoa into her mug and topped it with some cream and caramel sauce. “Try it. Tell me what you think.”

Aelin gently took the steaming mug in her hands and took a small sip. It was…amazing. The most perfect thing she had ever tasted. She closed her eyes in ecstasy, not caring how ridiculous she looked. It was the perfect temperature and warmed her all the way to her toes. Smooth, creamy, rich, all the different chocolates swirled in her mouth. Aelin moaned in appreciation. It might have even been better than her favorite chocolate cake.

When she opened her eyes, she found Rowan looking at her mug in hand, closer than she remembered him being before, his eyes dark as he met her own.

“That..that was by far the best thing I have ever tasted,” she whispered, feeling warm and relaxed from the hot chocolate.

Rowan smiled and set his mug down. “Yeah? I’m glad. It’s really the only thing I know how to make, so I’m glad it turned out alright.”

Aelin laughed. “You know, it really only needs one thing, to be absolutely perfect.”

“Oh, really? Now what’s that?”

“Marshmallows, duh. All hot chocolate needs marshmallows.” Aelin turned to his pantry and rummaged through his shelves until she found her prize.

Rowan made a disgusted face. “Gross. Marshmallows are for smores only, Aelin. You will not desecrate my perfect hot chocolate with those mass-produced balls of air and sugar.”

Aelin popped the bag open and stuffed a marshmallow in her mouth, just to spite him. “Watch me, Buzzard.”

“Buzzard?” Rowan quirked an eyebrow at her. “Oh, you’re so dead Aelin.”

He darted across the kitchen, attempting to grab Aelin around the waist, but she dodged him, and slipped around his outstretched hands, giggling. She plopped a marshmallow into Rowan’s mug before turning to put one in her own, but before she could, Rowan caught up to her and snatched the bag from her, holding it up above his head.

“Nice try,” he smirked down at her. It took everything Aelin had not to look at the patch of skin his shirt revealed.

Aelin was by no means short, but Rowan was nearly a giant. Even standing on her tippy toes, she couldn’t reach the bag of marshmallows. As she reached for the bag, Rowan wrapped and arm around her waist, helping to keep her from falling over. His touch sent shivers down her spine and make her breath catch incredibly obviously.

Aelin’s cheeks flushed as she met Rowan’s gaze, expecting to see disgust. But instead what she saw in his eyes made her toes curl. Slowly, their arms came down and they twined around each other.

And then, he was kissing her.

Soft and sweet, yet full of passion, Rowan’s caress melted her again and again. He tasted like chocolate and caramel, cream and perfection. Aelin was drowning in him. Kissing him, it was better than anything she could’ve imagined.

When they broke apart, panting for breath, Rowan leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers. He gave her another soft smile and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

“That was not how I imagined doing that. I was going to take you on a nice date, dinner, the works. I’m sorry.”

Aelin smirked at him. “You imagined doing that?”

He laughed and the sound rumbled through Aelin’s body. “For longer than I care to admit.”


End file.
